Swansea sign Swedish midfielder Widell

Melker Widell in action for Malmo's youth sideImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Melker Widell's Aab are ninth in the 12-team Danish Superliga

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Swansea City have signed Melker Widell for an undisclosed fee, though the Sweden Under-21 international will return to current club AaB Aalborg on loan for the rest of the season.

Widell, 22, will join up with Swansea for pre-season ahead of the 2025-26 campaign after signing a contract which runs until the summer of 2029.

Swansea see Widell as a player with long-term potential and wanted to secure his signing in this transfer window, even though Danish top-flight side AaB were only prepared to sanction the deal if he rejoined them on loan.

Swansea are paying a significant fee for Widell, who came through the youth ranks in his homeland with Malmo before switching to AaB in 2023.

The Championship club have been working on the Widell deal for some time and felt it was best to finalise the transfer now rather than waiting until the summer, when they anticipated strong competition for his signature.

Swansea head coach Luke Williams said: "Our desire to complete this deal now underlines our aim to be on the front foot.

"If we had waited until the summer it would have been very difficult because Melker is a very talented player and he is in demand.

"Technically he is incredible. He is a very creative and exciting player with a strong mentality."

A player who is capable of playing in central midfield or out wide, Widell has made 51 appearances for AaB, scoring 11 goals and registering nine assists.

"He is the real deal, he is professional," Williams added.

"He will bring something different. He can beat people, see passes and make connections at the top of the pitch. We are really excited."

Widell's arrival is not related to Matt Grimes' move to Coventry City.

Swansea are also working on other potential signings as they look to replace their departing captain and strengthen their attacking options for the rest of this season, with Williams' squad in need of immediate reinforcements having taken only one point from their past five league games.